(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image display apparatus using a flat panel display (FDP) such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a plasma display panel (PDP). In particular, the invention relates to a supporting or strengthening structure of a panel module using an FDP.
(2) Description of the Related Art
As television programs are broadcast digitally and with higher resolutions in recent years, there has been required a large-size (large screen), thin image display apparatus for, as a television set, receiving a broadcast or rebroadcast television program using an external or built-in tuner and displaying the received television program. As such large-size, thin image display apparatuses, ones using an FPD such as a LCD, a PDP, or an organic electro-luminescence (OEL) panel, as well as conventional projection display apparatuses have come on the market. Various supporting structures of such large-size, thin image display apparatuses, including appearance structures of the apparatuses, have been disclosed, for example, in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publications Nos. 2007-159048, 2004-151305, 2004-21104, 2001-100650, and 11-109879.
In general, when manufacturing such a large-size (e.g., 40 inches or more), thin (e.g., a thickness of 5 cm or less) image display apparatus, for example, when manufacturing an image display apparatus using an LCD as a display, a cabinet (including a frame and a back plate) taking a predetermined shape as well as a panel module integrally including the large-size LCD, a reflection plate, and a backlight unit is prepared. Then, a power supply substrate for supplying desired power to the apparatus, a drive circuit substrate for driving the display according to various input signals (video signals), and the like as well as the panel module are incorporated into the cabinet.
Various substrates such as the above-described power supply substrate and drive circuit substrate are typically mounted on the frame of the panel module or on the back surface thereof in the above-described large-size, thin image display apparatuses in terms of designability as disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publications Nos. 2007-159048, 2004-151305, 2004-21104, and 2001-100650, and the like. Also, as the screen size is further increased in recent years, the area of the above-described panel module has also been increased.
In general, a panel module is manufactured by disposing a backlight unit (including a light source such as a thin fluorescent tube) in a box-shaped frame (on the bottom thereof) with a small thickness and then fixing a large-size LCD to a surface of the backlight unit. The frame is typically formed of a metal plate made of iron, aluminum, or the like, and a reflection plate or a reflection sheet for reflecting light from the light source is provided on the inner surface (surface on which a light source such as a fluorescent tube is disposed) of the frame.
Incidentally, as upsizing of a screen and slimming down of an image display apparatus is required as described above, it is becoming increasingly important to secure the mechanical strength of a thin panel module with a large screen. For example, as disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-109879, a structure in which a supporting member taking a shape along diagonal lines connecting four corners of a flat panel, that is, an X-shaped supporting member is provided on the back surface of the flat panel has been proposed.
However, related-art examples, in particular, the structure in which the X-shaped supporting member is provided, shown in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-109879 have a problem with respect to slimming down of image display apparatuses and, therefore, have not necessarily been supporting structures suitable for commercialization.
In order to solve such a problem caused by an increase in the area of a panel module due to upsizing of an image display apparatus, a supporting structure and/or a strengthening structure of a panel module suitable for slimming down of an apparatus, including a mounting structure of various substrates on the back surface of the panel module, such as a power supply substrate and a drive circuit substrate, must be devised.